October Garden Hints

Prime lawn establishment season running out! You've only got until October 15th to take advantage of the best weather for establishing or improving a lawn. After the 15th, the conditions deteriorate slowly through the 1st of November and rapidly thereafter. The next window won't come around until mid-March, so don't wait. Come by Snow's today and pick up your supplies!

This month is time for your lawn's second fertilizer application. (Remember the 'SON' rule--September, October, and November). Use Winterizer Feed now and again in November. If you missed the first round in September, use one and one half times the normal amount to make up for the missed application.

Prepare yourself a compost bin. The leaves that fall in late October are brown gold for spring of 2014! Organic matter is invaluable to our clay soils and leaves are a great source of organic matter. Let them compost for about 18 months, adding green matter (grass clippings, vegetable and fruit kitchen waste, etc.) periodically, and turning the pile regularly, and you'll have a rich, nutritious amendment for your beds.

Come by the Snow's Fall Festival October 19th-26th!

Bone meal or bulb booster make great fertilizers when planting your bulbs. If you love tulips and daffodils, give them a shot of either of these and your bulbs will thrive next Spring!

If you've had vole or other animal problems with your bulbs, try putting a band of Perma-til around them when you plant. The digging animals hate trying to burrow through the coarse grains of the Perma-til. As a result, they leave your bulbs alone.

If you've had problems with deer eating your bulbs, try planting daffodils instead of tulips. You can have a great spring show, but the deer will leave them alone.

Tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus, and other Spring flowering bulbs are available now. When planning your bulb plantings, remember that mass planting is the most effective way to use bulbs. Large sweeps and groupings really show off the beauty of the flowers and create truly spectacular displays in Spring!

Start hanging and filling bird feeders now for the winter. Fall is when the overwintering birds seek out winter food sources. You can also attract some interesting migrating species not normally found in the area as they pass through on their way south.

Refrain from fertilizing and pruning your woody ornamentals from now through the first hard freezes. This will prevent stimulation of new growth that could be injured by the coming cold weather. Once everything has gone dormant, a light Fall application will help your plants build strong roots through the winter.

October is still a great month to plant trees and shrubs! Just because the leaves are falling, doesn't mean the season is over. It's a great time to enjoy the cool temperatures and favorable working conditions.